


Forward to the Past

by SFGJP



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 05:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18934684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SFGJP/pseuds/SFGJP
Summary: A little backstory about my D&D monk Shiori Noda





	Forward to the Past

The back door creaked as Shiori pushed it open and stepped out into the cool spring night, closing the door behind her. She walked through the forest behind the Red Arm Inn and stopped when she reached a small, circular clearing with a mossy boulder.  
She took out a red blanket from the sack attached to her belt and laid it out on the boulder. Once most of the moss was covered, she climbed up onto the rock and sat down. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes, her body illuminated by moonlight shining through the opening in the trees above.  
She sat there in silence, breathing deeply and slowly, listening to the sounds of the forest, the animals, the insects, the plants. Several minutes passed.  
At some point, her eyes opened, and she turned her head to look in the direction she had come from. Approaching her was a tall, older male with light tan skin, slanted, dark brown eyes, and long, dark gray hair tied into a bun wearing brown trousers and a white tank top. He was fairly fit and muscly for a man in his late 60’s who was also missing his left arm.  
“Hey, Dad,” Shiori said as the man climbed up onto the boulder. She shifted to the side to give him room to sit next to her.  
“Sweetie, what are you doing out here?” Shiori’s father asked. “You know, your friends are going to be here soon.”  
“I know. I just need some time to breathe…and think,” Shiori replied. Her father nodded, placing his right arm around her shoulders.  
“…Well, you’ve got a lot to think about. M is arriving tomorrow morning, isn’t he?” he questioned.  
“Yeah. We still need to finalize our plan,” Shiori responded. “And, to be honest, I’m still incredibly nervous. I’ve been trying my best to calm myself down these past few weeks…”  
Her father sighed. “Sweetie, I know we’ve had this talk before, but all you need to do is say the word, and I’ll take your place. Easily.”  
Shiori frowned and scowled at him. “Dad, there’s no way me or Mom would let you go. It’s too dangerous, and you’re not exactly as powerful and athletic as you were back in your adventuring days. No offense.”  
“I know, I know. But I’d rather get whisked off to the past with very little to no chance of returning than my only daughter.”  
His hold on Shiori tightened, and he looked down at his lap. Shiori noticed a few tears drop from his face.  
“Dad, I love you and Mom so much, which is why I have to do this,” Shiori said, wrapping her arms around her father’s torso and pulling him into a hug. “This is our only real chance left to make things better, to fix all of the damage, to finally end this war.”  
“Alright, sweetie. Just try to stay safe. And whether or not you succeed, always remember that me and Mom are so proud of you and will always be proud of you,” her father said, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of her head.  
“Aw, Dad… Now I might start crying,” Shiori said, smiling. The two laughed together.  
“Okay, there’s one more thing,” her father said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring with a small, silver shield on it.  
“What is it?” Shiori asked as her father placed the ring into her hand.  
“Aiden sent a message saying he wouldn’t be able to come and say goodbye because of all of the work he needs to do. It came with this Ring of Protection that he got for you.”  
Shiori put the ring on her right index finger and held her hand up to examine it. “It’s…amazing. Tell him I said thank you…and that I’ll miss him.”  
Her father nodded and ruffled her hair. “…You can cry now if you want to.”  
Shiori chuckled. “Getting pretty close to.”  
Suddenly, she felt another presence. She turned her head and noticed another man walking towards the clearing. This time, it was a tall, lean, high elf man with short, combed-back, black hair, peach skin, and striking, emerald eyes. His body was covered with a black, hooded cloak.  
He stopped and looked at Shiori and her father before saying, “Ah, hello, Mr. Noda, Shiori.”  
“You know you can just call me Hino, right?” Shiori’s father said, smirking.  
The male elf coughed, his face starting to turn red. “I, er, yes, I know. I’m just not…comfortable enough to do that yet.”  
“Alright, alright. I’ll get out of here so you two can talk privately,” Shiori’s father said. He ruffled Shiori’s hair once more, climbed down from the boulder, and started walking back to the inn.  
Once he was a good distance away, Shiori extended her hand out to the elf and helped him get on top of the boulder.  
“What’s up, Ral?” Shiori asked as Raloqen sat beside her.  
“I was looking for you,” he replied. “The others and I have just arrived. We’re all waiting for you so we can have our meeting.”  
“Right! Of course! Sorry, you can just tell the others I’ll join them in a bit,” Shiori said, rubbing the back of her head and chuckling nervously.  
Raloqen raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Shiori, you don’t have to pretend you’re fine. Especially when you’re with me. You can tell me what’s bothering you.”  
Shiori’s expression dropped as she looked down at her lap. “…Yeah, I know. I just…don’t want to worry myself any more than I already have.”  
“I understand. If you want to speak about it, please go ahead. If not, I can just stay here with you until you’re ready to meet with the others.”  
Shiori nodded, and the two of them sat in silence for a moment before she spoke up and asked, “Are you scared?”  
“Yes. In fact, it’s a kind of fear that I’ve never felt before. Not even on the battlefield,” Raloqen replied. “If I make a mistake, you will all probably die. But I promised to help M with the ritual, and I intend to keep my word.”  
“Do you think we’ll succeed?” Shiori continued to question.  
“To be honest, I have no idea. Worst case scenario, the ritual goes wrong and everyone dies. Best case scenario, the ritual goes as planned, and you all succeed in changing everything.”  
“And what do you hope happens?”  
“Well…I hope you succeed in ending the war and preventing all of those past tragedies from happening. And after all that is done, I hope the whole group can return back home… Especially you.”  
“I mean, if I ever want to see your cute face again, I have to come back,” Shiori said, giving him a wink. Raloqen grinned and chuckled.  
Shiori stood up, stretched, and jumped down from the boulder. “Alright, I’m ready to go. Let’s not keep the others waiting.”  
After she helped Raloqen climb down, they walked back to the inn and into the tavern section of the building where the rest of the group was waiting.  
The tavern of the Red Arm Inn, owned by Shiori’s parents, was filled with round, wooden tables, all empty except for the one closest to the bar. At that table were four other people, all friends and soldiers who fought alongside Shiori.  
Sitting in a chair leaning against the bar and drinking straight from a bottle was Silar, the youngest of the group at only 20 years old, a male half elf paladin with sleek, white hair tied up into a bun, brown eyes with black eyeliner, and light tan skin. Despite his small, lean frame, he wore a full set of mithral armor.  
To Silar’s left was Kalcria, a slightly older female Tiefling bard with dark blue skin, black eyes, and black horns that curved upwards. She wore a simple, white, long-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and a dark purple cloak. In her lap was a small harp made of teak wood with silver wire strings.  
On the other side of the table playing a card game were Hacket and Lotye, a male infiltrator and a female dragoon, respectively. Lotye was a tall, buff, older woman in her 40’s with shoulder-length russet brown hair, tan skin, and wide, amber eyes. She wore an outfit similar to Kalcria’s, minus the cloak, her set of golden dragon scale armor placed on another table nearby.  
Hacket’s age was more ambiguous, though he seemed slightly younger than Lotye. He also seemed human, but nobody could really tell because he usually wore black gloves, a dark red hooded cloak covering his entire body, and a white fox mask. Purple eyes peered out from the holes of the mask, always watching, always calculating.  
“They’re finally here!” Kalcria cheered, strumming a couple notes on her harp.  
Silar placed down his bottle and sighed loudly. “Took them long enough.”  
As Hacket and Lotye finished their game and cleaned up the cards, Shiori sat next to Lotye, and Raloqen took a seat next to Silar.  
“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s begin discussing our plan,” Hacket stated. “As you all know, M will be arriving tomorrow morning. He and Raloqen will perform the ritual to send us back to a time when the war is still happening but none of the major tragedies have occurred yet. Other than that, we have nothing planned. So, I will start by asking all of you what you think we should do to change our fate.”  
Silar took a swig from his bottle and slammed it down on the table before replying, “Easy. We kill the Conqueror. That bloodthirsty maniac has slaughtered thousands and thousands of soldiers. If we can stop her, we’ll be saving so many lives.”  
Kalcria nodded and responded, “Agreed. Depending on when we end up, we should be able to stop her before she harvests a bunch of souls and gets really powerful.”  
“You know, not all of us are inclined to kill people,” Shiori added, and Silar immediately glared at her.  
“Are you kidding? She basically wiped out a fourth of all our forces on her own. She nearly cut off your father’s other arm! She deserves to die,” Silar shouted. “We’re trying to win a war here, Shiori, and you can’t exactly do that without killing the enemy.”  
“Calm down, we can think of an alternative,” Raloqen interjected. “For example, you could take that cursed sword from her and destroy it. Her weapon is her main source of power, so if she doesn’t have it, she’ll be much less of a problem.”  
“While Silar’s idea will be simpler, Raloqen’s will be more full proof,” Lotye said. “I have heard information about the weapon the Conqueror wields. Even if we kill the wielder, the weapon will find another. But if we destroy the weapon, then it will not have another wielder.”  
“I agree that the Conqueror is a problem we should deal with, but it is more of a minor problem. Not to make light of the deaths of everyone she has killed, but there are more major matters we must discuss,” Hacket stated.  
“Like what?” Silar asked.  
“Tiamat,” Lotye responded. “And the Dragon God.”  
A cold silence filled the room. Shiori played with her new ring, and Silar bit down on the edge of his bottle.  
After a moment, Silar spoke up, saying, “Well, we have the best damn dragoon that ever lived on our side. I think we have a good chance at taking down the Dragon Cult if we draw them out one by one. Then, we take their masks and destroy them. And as for the Dragon God, we kill the bastard before he ascends.”  
“I think we can deal with the Dragon God without killing him,” Shiori said. “We can talk to him and try to convince him to join the fight against Melniboné. Or, you know, we can just prevent him from ascending.”  
“I think reasoning with him is a good option,” Hacket agreed. “However, if he does not comply, then I am afraid we might need to get rid of him. His godhood poses a major threat to the world.”  
Kalcria hummed in agreement, while Shiori sighed and nodded.  
“Alright, what else is there?” Silar asked.  
“The Tarrasque,” Raloqen replied. “The battle against that beast wiped out many of our powerful allies.”  
“I don’t think there is much we can do about that,” Lotye said. “The most we can do is notify notable heroes and adventurers of its return and hope they will make preparations in order to be more ready for the fight.”  
“How about King Elric?” Kalcria asked. “I think we should take him down as well before he becomes too powerful.”  
Silar smirked. “Assassinating a king? Sounds fun.”  
“But what if they put someone else even more powerful on the throne to replace him?” Shiori questioned.  
“Then we kill them, too,” Silar stated nonchalantly.  
“I think we leave dealing with Elric on the end of the list as it will be our most difficult task,” Hacket advised.  
“Okay, I think that’s all of the major issues that need to be dealt with,” Raloqen said. “Is there anything else to discuss?”  
The group fell silent once again, thinking things over, until Kalcria sat up and asked, “…Are we gonna be able to come back home?”  
Shiori bit the inside of her cheek and looked at Raloqen, who sighed and responded, “As far as M has told me, unless you manage to find someone in the past who can send you all back, it’s a one-way trip.”  
Kalcria frowned as Lotye spoke up, saying, “We all decided to do this knowing that there would be little chance of us returning. If we must sacrifice our lives to make a better world, then I’ll happily die for that cause.”  
Silas took one final swig of his bottle, slammed it down on the table, and stood up, declaring, “This is our last chance. If we don’t do this, then it’s all over.”  
Hacket nodded. “It is a tough decision to make, but, ultimately, the fate of our world and the lives of innocent people are more important.”  
Kalcria laughed and played a couple notes on her harp. “You guys are dorks, but as long as we’re together, we’ll be okay.”  
The rest of the group turned to look at Shiori expectantly. She took her ring off and gripped it in her hand, looking at Raloqen, who gave her a reassuring grin and nodded.  
Shiori put her ring back on and stood up. “I’m ready.”  
“Alright, then, meeting concluded,” Hacket stated. “Now, how about we all have one final drink before going to sleep?”  
“Already on it,” Silar said, walking over to the bar and grabbing more bottles.  
“Actually, I think I’m gonna sleep a little earlier,” Shiori said, starting to walk away. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”  
She waved at the others before heading upstairs to the inn’s bedrooms.  
“I’m going to turn in as well,” Raloqen said as he stood up and followed Shiori.  
As he walked by Kalcria, she nudged him, winked, and said, “Good luck!”  
Shiori climbed up to the third floor of the inn where she and her parents lived. Her parents were already asleep in their room, so she quickly and quietly moved to her own. As she sat down on her bed and took off her red vest, she looked up and saw Raloqen standing in the doorway.  
“Uh, hello,” Raloqen said, giving a small wave.  
“Hey,” Shiori said, folding her vest and sitting cross-legged on her bed. “What’s up?”  
Raloqen rubbed the back of his neck and looked away nervously. “I, uh, have something to tell you. This is probably the worst time to tell you since you’re leaving tomorrow and probably not returning, but I figured I might as well. I should’ve told you earlier, but there’s been so much going on that I never really got around to it.”  
Shiori grinned at Raloqen before admitting, “I already know.”  
Raloqen’s eyes widened, and his face turned red. He turned to face Shiori, giving her a surprised look.  
“You…what? You knew? Then…,” he sputtered. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”  
Shiori looked down at her lap. “I didn’t want to pressure you in case you weren’t ready.”  
Raloqen stood there in shock for a moment, mouth agape, before he returned to normal and cleared his throat.  
“Well then, I suppose I should’ve known better. There’s a lot more going on in your head than what most people assume.”  
“You know me. It’s easier to look like you don’t know anything so that people are caught off-guard when they find out you do.”  
Raloqen chuckled and moved to sit next to Shiori.  
“So, how are you feeling about the mission now?” he asked.  
“Still nervous,” she replied. “But as long as I can get the job done, I’ll be fine.”  
Raloqen nodded and moved so he could hold her hands in his. Face still partly red, he looked into Shiori’s eyes and frowned.  
“Gods, Shiori, I…I don’t want you to go,” he muttered, voice slightly cracking. “I know that’s a selfish thing to say but knowing that I’ll most likely never see you again is more painful than any wound that I’ve ever experienced. And I got stabbed twice in the chest by the Conqueror!”  
“Ral-”  
“Listen. If you and the others finish your mission but can’t go back home, then promise me that you’ll live a nice, peaceful life. Promise me you’ll find someone who makes you feel like the best person ever and loves you infinitely. Promise me you’ll be happy because as long as you are, then I am, too.”  
“Raloqen.”  
Raloqen’s grip on Shiori’s hands tightened. “No! Promise me first. Please.”  
Several tears streaked down Raloqen’s cheeks, a pleading and desperate look in his eyes. Shiori sighed as she pulled her hands out of his grasp. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled his upper body towards her so that his head lay in the crook of her neck. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he hugged her torso and started sobbing.  
“…I promise,” Shiori said softly. She carefully shifted so that she could lie down on her bed, bringing Raloqen down with her. Eventually, Raloqen calmed down and fell asleep in her arms, and Shiori followed soon after.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In the morning, the group met in the tavern once again and ate breakfast as they waited for the one named “M”. As they had just finished and were cleaning up, someone knocked on the door of the tavern. Shiori opened the door, revealing M, a tall, slender male Tiefling with red skin, short, dark brown hair, black eyes, tall, straight black horns, and a 4-foot long tail that peaked out from the black priest robes that covered his body.  
“Good morning,” he said, bowing slightly, his voice a strange, raspy whisper. “I hope you’re all ready for your journey.”  
Once the tavern was cleaned up, the group gathered outside in an open area at the front of the inn. M carved an intricate circle of magic runes into the ground as Raloqen watched, his eyebrows furrowed with an intense look in his eyes. Shiori moved to stand next to Raloqen and placed her hand in his. He gripped it tightly in response.  
“You’re going to be fine. Just breathe,” Shiori reassured.  
“Yes, I know… I’m just worried I’m going to mess up,” Raloqen admitted.  
“You’re not going to. Focus. I know you can do this,” Shiori said.  
M stood on the side of the circle furthest away from the tavern and drew a smaller circle in that spot. He then looked at Raloqen and pointed at another smaller circle he had drawn straight across from him. Raloqen nodded, let go of Shiori’s hand, and stood in that circle. Once he was in position, M reached into his bag and took out a large orb of pulsing, purple light. He let the orb go, and everyone watched as it hovered to the center of the larger circle.  
“That is the Orb of Memories, the key to this ritual,” M explained. “Raloqen and I are going to channel its energy to create a portal to the past. We’ll only be able to hold the portal open for a couple seconds as the increasing influx of magic energy coursing through our bodies will destroy us if we attempt to hold the ritual for too long.”  
“So make sure you all get into the portal as fast as possible…unless you really want me to suffer for some reason,” Raloqen advised.  
“And remember, this ritual will only send you to the past. It will not return you to your original time. There’s very little chance that you’ll come back, so make sure you’re absolutely ready to go,” M said. “Let me know once you are, and we will begin the ritual.”  
Hacket turned to the group and asked, “Has everyone said their goodbyes?”  
Kalcria and Lotye nodded as Silar scoffed. Shiori turned to look at Raloqen.  
“I already said goodbye to my parents, but there’s one more person I need to speak to,” Shiori said.  
“Who? Your godfather? Isn’t he busy with work at his clinic?” Silar asked. Shiori shook her head as she approached Raloqen.  
As he turned to face her, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him down so he was closer to her height. She closed her eyes and gently placed her lips on his in a soft kiss. He responded by wrapping his arms around her torso and pulling her closer. Off to the side, Kalcria happily strummed a couple notes on her harp while Silar pretended to throw up. After a few seconds, Shiori and Raloqen separated, looking into each other’s eyes.  
“…Goodbye,” Shiori said in a sad, quiet voice.  
“Be safe, and remember the promise,” Raloqen responded. He hugged her one last time before letting her go, watching her walk back to the others.  
Lotye gave Shiori a consoling pat on the shoulder as Hacket turned to M and said, “We’re ready.”  
M nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and extended his arms outwards, Raloqen doing the same. They muttered some words in unison, and the circle of runes lit up with blue energy. The orb in the middle started to pulse, slowly at first but gradually getting faster and faster until there was a flash of purple light. Once the light had subsided, the orb had expanded into a wavy, oval portal. Tendrils of purple light spilled out from the bottom of the portal, flowing towards M and Raloqen. The tendrils seeped into their skin and wrapped around their bodies as they started to glow the same purple color.  
“Portal…open… Go!” M shouted through clenched teeth.  
Silar bolted towards the portal and jumped into it, followed by Kalcria and Lotye. Hacket and Shiori were about to enter until Shiori heard Raloqen scream in pain, causing her to abruptly stop and turn to look at him. He had fallen to his knees, small cracks starting to form in his skin, purple light seeping out from the cracks.  
“Ral!” she shouted and took a step towards him.  
“Shiori! We have to go, or he’ll die!” Hacket ordered. He suddenly grabbed Shiori’s wrist and pulled her into the portal with him. Shiori watched Raloqen’s body collapse to the ground as the portal closed.  
Shiori found herself alone in an endless pool of purple light. She frantically looked around but saw none of her friends. She tried to move, but her body did not respond. Suddenly, she felt an intense pain in her head, as if her brain had just been pierced by a million needles and set on fire. She opened her mouth and screamed, not hearing her voice but instead a low, warbled hum. The color of the light around her started to shift rapidly, from purple to green to blue to red to purple once more. The shifting lights hurt her eyes, making her feel dazed and confused. Then, everything stopped and turned to black as Shiori lost consciousness.


End file.
